Yes, Irish citizens can get the 482 Skills in Demand visa, but you need an Australian employer to sponsor you. As of November 2026 it costs AUD 4,015 for the main applicant, your Irish passport means no English test, and in the Core Skills stream you must be paid at least AUD 79,423 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. It lasts up to 4 years, and after 2 years of full time sponsored work your employer can nominate you for permanent residency on a 186 visa.
Every figure below is from Home Affairs, checked on 12 November 2026, and most change each 1 July, so check the official pages we link before you sign anything. Comparing routes? Start with our visa options to stay in Australia longer.
Short version
- Who it’s for: anyone with a job offer from an approved sponsor and at least 1 year of relevant experience in the last 5 years. No age limit on the 482 itself.
- Salary floor: AUD 79,423 (Core Skills) or AUD 146,576 (Specialist Skills) for nominations lodged 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, and never below the market rate.
- Cost: AUD 4,015 for you and each adult, AUD 1,005 per child under 18. Sponsorship, nomination and levy costs are your employer’s, and can’t be passed on to you.
- No English test with an Irish passport.
- Lose your job? Up to 180 days to find a new sponsor or arrange to leave.
- PR: the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream, usually after 2 years full time on a 482 and while you’re under 45.
What is the 482 Skills in Demand visa?
It’s a temporary work visa that, in Home Affairs’ words, “lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker to fill a position they can’t find a suitably skilled Australian to fill.” It lasts as long as your employer nominates you for, up to 4 years, and your partner and children can come on the same application and live, study and work here too. There are three streams, all with the same visa charge:
| Stream | Who it’s for |
|---|---|
| Core Skills | Jobs on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), paid at least the Core Skills Income Threshold. Home Affairs expects most temporary skilled workers to use this stream. |
| Specialist Skills | Occupations in ANZSCO Major Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, paid at least the much higher Specialist Skills Income Threshold. Electricians (341111), plumbers (334116) and carpenters (331212) have codes starting with 3, so tradies need Core Skills or a labour agreement. |
| Labour Agreement | Workers nominated by an employer with a labour agreement with the Australian Government. |
What changed when it replaced the TSS visa
Home Affairs puts it simply: “On December 7 2024, the Skills in Demand (SID) visa replaced the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa.” What’s different from the old 482:
- One list, up to 4 years. The TSS short-term stream usually lasted up to 2 years. Core Skills now uses the CSOL, and every stream runs up to 4 years.
- A Specialist Skills stream for well paid roles, with processing priority over most other applications.
- 1 year of experience, gained in the last 5 years. Part time or casual work counts if it adds up to 12 months full time.
- 180 days between sponsors, in place since 1 July 2024, a few months before the switch.
- More time counts towards PR. Home Affairs says the 7 December 2024 changes reduced the work experience needed for the 186 TRT stream and allowed “all eligible sponsored, full-time employment to be counted towards the work experience requirement, regardless of occupation.”
Salary thresholds for 2026 to 2027
Your pay has to clear two bars: the income threshold for your stream, and the annual market salary rate (AMSR) for the job. Thresholds rise every 1 July, and the one that applies depends on when your employer lodges the nomination.
| Threshold | Nominations lodged 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 |
|---|---|
| Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) | AUD 79,423 |
| Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) | AUD 146,576 |
The AMSR is what “an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident earns or would earn” for equivalent full time work at the same workplace and location. If an Australian at your work earns more than the threshold for the same job, that’s your floor, and Home Affairs says that if your employer intends to pay you less, “we will refuse the nomination”. Non-monetary benefits don’t count, and only salaries of AUD 250,000 or more skip the AMSR test. The job must also be full time, generally 38 hours a week. Details are on the salary requirements page.
How much does a 482 visa cost?
| Who | Visa charge (November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Main applicant | AUD 4,015 |
| Each person 18 or over applying with you | AUD 4,015 |
| Each child under 18 | AUD 1,005 |
So a couple with two children pays AUD 10,040. Home Affairs lists health checks, police certificates and biometrics as extra costs. Include your family from the start: Home Affairs says “You can’t add family members to your visa application after you submit it”, though they can apply later as subsequent entrants. Our guide to moving to Australia from Ireland with family covers school fees by state and childcare.
What your employer pays, and can’t pass on to you
| Employer cost | Amount (November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Becoming an approved sponsor | AUD 420 |
| Nominating you | AUD 330 |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, turnover under AUD 10 million | AUD 1,200 per year (or part year) of the nomination |
| Skilling Australians Fund levy, turnover AUD 10 million or more | AUD 1,800 per year (or part year) of the nomination |
Home Affairs’ cost of sponsoring page is clear: “You can’t transfer these costs to the visa holder or their family members,” and “Employers must not pass the SAF levy on to the visa applicant.” Under its sponsor obligations, your employer also pays recruitment costs and its own migration agent’s fees for the sponsorship and nomination, and must pay reasonable travel costs for you and your sponsored family to leave Australia if asked in writing. Your own visa charge isn’t on that list, so agree in writing who pays it before you accept.
Never pay for a sponsorship. “It is illegal for a person to pay an employer to sponsor them for a visa,” says Home Affairs, and that includes salary deductions or any other benefit to the employer. Anyone who asks for, offers or takes a payment like that can face visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment, and doing it in the last 3 years can sink your own 482 application.
Skills in Demand visa requirements for Irish applicants
- A nomination from an approved sponsor, or a business that has applied to become a Standard Business Sponsor. Unless exempt, your employer must show through labour market testing that it couldn’t find an Australian for the job.
- Work experience: at least 1 year in your nominated occupation or a related field, in the last 5 years.
- A skills assessment, if your occupation needs one. Only some do, through Trades Recognition Australia or VETASSESS, and where it’s mandatory you must have started it before you apply or “your application will not be valid”. You’ll also need any licence or registration your job requires.
- English: you’re exempt from proving English if you’re “a passport holder from” Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States, says the 482 English page. No IELTS.
- Health: you and your family must meet the health requirement. Doing your health checks before you lodge cuts processing time, Home Affairs says.
- Character: a police certificate from every country, Ireland included, where you’ve spent 12 months or more in total in the last 10 years since you turned 16, and an Australian Federal Police certificate if that includes 12 months or more here. Our Irish police certificate guide shows how to get the Garda one from Australia.
- Health insurance: condition 8501 means you “must have and maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia”, with evidence for every family member on the visa. Home Affairs says Overseas Visitor Health Cover products “commonly provide the minimum level” of cover it recommends, and some policies state whether they satisfy 8501. Travel insurance is a different product, as our travel insurance guide explains.
Once granted, you must start work within 90 days of arriving (or of the grant, if you’re here). The full checklist is on the Core Skills stream page.
Going from a working holiday visa to a 482
Plenty of Irish people stay this way: a working holiday, an employer who doesn’t want to lose them, then sponsorship. You can apply from inside Australia if you hold a substantive visa or a Bridging visa A, B or C, and a working holiday visa qualifies: Home Affairs defines a substantive visa as any visa letting you stay temporarily “other than” a bridging, criminal justice or enforcement visa.
- The 6 month rule. On a working holiday you can usually only work 6 months for one employer, but Home Affairs may give permission to stay on if you “have applied for a visa allowing ongoing full time work and are awaiting the outcome”. Ask before the 6 months are up, or you must stop working for that employer until it decides.
- Stay lawful. Applying onshore may get you a bridging visa that starts if your working holiday visa expires first.
- Order matters. Your employer lodges the nomination first (or at the same time), and you need its reference number to apply.
Not here yet? Our working holiday visa guide covers applying from Ireland.
Changing employers and the 180 day rule
The 482 comes with condition 8607: you only work in your nominated occupation, for the business that nominated you or, with an Australian sponsor, its associated entities. To move, “your new employer must get a nomination approved before you can start work for them”, and it pays the nomination fee and levy again.
If your job ends, you can stop working, or work outside those conditions, for “up to 180 days in a single period” and “up to 365 days in total across the period we grant your visa for.” That’s your window “to find a new employer or make arrangements to leave Australia.” Tell Home Affairs about any change of employer, and start looking early: nominations can take months.
482 visa to PR: the 186 Temporary Residence Transition stream
The 186 Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream is a permanent visa built for 482 holders. You usually need to:
- hold a 457, 482 or eligible bridging visa
- have worked “for a total of 2 years in the 3 years prior” to applying, full time, in Australia, in an occupation your 457 or 482 was granted for
- be nominated by the employer that last sponsored you, and apply within 6 months of that nomination being approved
- be under 45 when you apply
- have at least Competent English, which your Irish passport proves
Your 2 years don’t all have to be with one employer. If you changed employers, “sponsored employment can be counted from the date an approved nomination was lodged” if you started working there before it was approved, and with more than one 482, time counts in any occupation you were approved for.
Over 45? Exemptions cover some university academics, scientists and researchers, doctors with 2 years in a regional area on a 457 or 482, and anyone who earned at least the Fair Work High Income Threshold in each of their 2 sponsored years.
The 186 costs AUD 6,140 for the main applicant, AUD 3,070 per adult and AUD 1,535 per child under 18, and your employer’s 186 nomination fee is AUD 540, depending on stream and location. Home Affairs adds: “We expect that you will work for your nominating employer for at least 2 years.”
How long does a 482 take to process?
Home Affairs’ processing times guide, based on recently decided applications, showed this on 12 November 2026:
| Application | Time to decide 50% and 90% of applications |
|---|---|
| 482 Core Skills | 50% in 6 months, 90% in 9 months |
| 482 Specialist Skills | 50% in 59 days, 90% in 3 months |
| Your employer’s 482 nomination | 50% in 36 days, 90% in 9 months |
| 186 Temporary Residence Transition | 50% in 22 months, 90% in 24 months |
Since 19 September 2026, Ministerial Direction 121 puts 482 applications in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources (or law enforcement and defence) first, then the Specialist Skills stream, then people who applied from inside Australia. Good news for construction, nursing and teaching. For the 186 TRT, Home Affairs says it is “receiving a high volume of applications”, so plan early.
How to find a sponsor
- Start with who you know. On a working holiday, your current employer is the obvious first ask.
- Look for employers that already sponsor. Browse jobs with visa sponsorship on the Irish Around Oz job board. Home Affairs gives accredited sponsors priority when it processes 482 nominations and visas.
- Check your occupation. Then read our guide for your job: nurses, teachers, doctors, electricians, plumbers and carpenters or accountants.
- Get advice before you sign. Home Affairs says only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person can give immigration assistance. Our partner Migration Unity are registered migration agents who can check your options.
Planning the whole move? See our complete guide to moving to Australia from Ireland.
Weighing up a sponsorship offer? Ask in our Facebook groups, where Irish people who’ve been through the 482 share how it went.
FAQ
Can Irish citizens get a 482 visa?
Yes. You need an approved sponsor to nominate you for an eligible job, at least 1 year of relevant experience in the last 5 years and a salary that meets the threshold. There’s no age limit for the 482 itself.
Do Irish citizens need an English test for the 482?
No. Irish passport holders are exempt from proving English for the 482, and an Irish passport also proves Competent English for the 186 TRT.
How much does the 482 visa cost in 2026?
As of November 2026, AUD 4,015 for the main applicant and each adult, and AUD 1,005 per child under 18. Your employer pays the AUD 330 nomination fee and the Skilling Australians Fund levy.
What is the minimum salary for a 482 visa?
AUD 79,423 in Core Skills and AUD 146,576 in Specialist Skills, for nominations lodged 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, and never less than the market rate for the job.
Can I apply for a 482 on a working holiday visa?
Yes, from inside Australia, and you can ask Home Affairs for permission to keep working past 6 months for the same employer while you wait.
How long does it take to get PR from a 482?
Usually 2 years of full time sponsored work before you can apply for the 186 TRT. In November 2026, Home Affairs’ guide showed 90% of TRT applications decided within 24 months.
What happens if I lose my job on a 482?
You have up to 180 days in a single period, and 365 days in total, to find a new sponsor or arrange to leave. The new employer needs an approved nomination before you start.
Can my employer make me pay for my sponsorship?
No. Sponsorship, nomination and Skilling Australians Fund costs can’t be passed on to you, and paying an employer to sponsor you is illegal.
